Category Archives: Creativity

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: April 29, 2013

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY April 28, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It was in the 90’s today. I will be smacking the next person who denies climate change.

I am thinking… that in response to people posting about homeschooling their kids to keep them away from “godless liberals”, I totally want to respond by saying that I’m sending my kids to public schools to keep them away from the people saying those things. I almost want to get a shirt that says “I’m the godless liberal your parents warned you about.”

I am thankful… for the water fight and tickle fight I had with Daniel today and in general I’m thankful for his laugh.

In the kitchen… nothing from scratch. Must fix that.

I am wearing… blue v-neck shirt and capri sweats.

I am creating… nothing yarn-wise but always coming up with plot things for NaNoWriMo.

I am going… shopping tomorrow for toiletries and trying to figure out something to cook that I actually want to eat.

I am wondering… how to post something on Facebook calling out those who are posting partisan and factually incorrect things and telling me that I don’t know that I’m talking about because I give in to the “liberal media”. Riiiiight… the fact that I have a B.A. in Religious Studies focused around comparative religon and part of a Masters in Theology can’t mean that I actually know what I’m talking about, right? (Not to mention that one of the things that they’re making factual inaccuracies about is one of my areas of specialty.)

I am reading… Just finished The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny. She is amazing when it comes to the chiaroscuro of the human soul. Next book will be Death by the Dozen by Jenn McKinlay or possibly taking Maphead by Ken Jennings back up.

I am hoping… my allergies/cold/crud is on its way out.

I am looking forward to… Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday.

Around the house… clean thanks to having company on Saturday and a young mom in the congregation to come and clean for me. (I pay her well and she is the reason I’m functional.)

I am pondering… how someone could have gotten my debit card number when I’m fanatical about keeping it secret. Thank God I was checking my account online and caught the bogus charge.

A favorite quote for today… “Why I often find myself at such cross-purposes with the modern world: I have been a converted Pagan living among apostate Puritans.” — C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… making a good play on Words With Friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week: shopping tomorrow and possibly filing a police report, Morning Prayer and NCIS/NCIS:LA on Tuesday, Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday, watching the cinecast of Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me on Thursday, and possibly a trip to San Jose this weekend.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes: Picnic on the Green, Pizzas for Doctors, and Blasting Music

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Facebook. I have a tendency to post a *few* cat memes on Facebook every day. I didn’t quite realize how… well-received they were until I got this message from Kelly of This Ain’t The Lyceum:

Jen, I haven’t seen anything humorous about cats pop up in my News Feed for the last hour; are you alright??

I’m sorry, Kelly. I’ll try to post many many more cat memes for you. 😉

— 2 —

Payback. Various people have posted pictures of this on Facebook so I thought I’d share. An E.R. doctor at Mass General Boston (site of the Boston Marathon bombings) called a pizzeria in Waco (the nearest big city to the town where the fertilizer plant explosion happened) and ordered pizzas for all the surgeons in the ER at Hillcrest with the message, “Thanks for all your hard work!”

Awesome payback.

Dr. Chris Kabrhel, you are awesome and I hope people took as good care of you on Monday night as you did of the Hillcrest docs.

— 3 —

I’m a t-shirt person. Adidas has created some shirts whose proceeds will go to One Fund Boston. Go here to order. (HT: Emily)

— 4 —

Just a tip. To the person behind me at the stop sign by the library:

Honking your horn to kindly remind me to move (especially when it isn’t safe to do so and you apparently can’t see this) will cause me to adhere *strictly* to the speed limit (25 mph) for as long as you are behind me or until I hit Highway 99 — whichever would drive you more batty. I’m perfectly aware that it has been 3 seconds but there’s an older woman who is trying to decide whether to cross or not and I’m quite sure that the nice police officer coming the other way would prefer that I not run her over.

Cuddles,
jen

— 5 —

Remedying the situation. Last Saturday night, I was getting gas as a Shell station in Elk Grove after dropping Daniel off at Respite Night. While I was pumping gas, a young man drove up in a car with the windows rolled down and some foul hiphop/R&B thing blasting loudly. Why was it foul? Let’s just say that I’m not sure many young women like to be referred to as prostitutes and female dogs. (Substitute the foul language words for those things and you’ll understand why.) I wasn’t amenable to being forced to listen to this while the guy went in and tried to convince the clerk to hook him up with some gas so I finished pumping my gas, got in my car, turned my stereo up to 11, and started blasting the chorus of “The Way” by Jeremy Camp

I regret nothing.

— 6 —

Orphans. Do you see these adorable kids?

BrettKaia

Brett (on the left) needs a mama and Kaia (on the right) has a family who needs help raising the funds to bring her home. If you can help out at all, click on their pictures. Please and thank you!

— 7 —

Picnic. Daniel’s preschool has “Picnic on the Green” tomorrow where the parents bring a picnic lunch for themselves and their kids and eat with them on the lawn. The ABA class(es) seem to get the playground and shady area by their portable to themselves so I’m looking forward to it. The parents usually bring McDonalds stuff for their kids but I think I’ll go with Subway. Daniel has actually tasted McDonalds once (this week, I let him try a bite of my double cheeseburger) but I know he’ll probably eat Subway’s food. (I’m also trying to keep my fake crunchy mom cred which falls short because of Subway’s dough conditioners.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Grace at Camp Patton. She is guest-hosting for Jen again this week while Jen is (hopefully) enjoying having little Joseph home from the NICU.

Five Favorites: Literary Small Towns

Posted on by

Five Favorites

My brain is consumed with literary devices and plot details for a NaNo piece so you’re getting another meme. Yay!!! This one is created and hosted by the illustrious Hallie Lord of Moxie Wife. When you finish reading this, go congratulate Hallie on her new baby Charlie who was born on April 4th.

Anyway, here are five of my favorite literary small towns where I enjoy disappearing when I read.

Un

Alpine, WA. It’s a former logging town that disappeared when the mill closed in the 1920’s. Author Mary Daheim’s family lived there and one of her series of murder mysteries takes place in the town with the premise that the town would still exist today. I think the closest real place would be the town of Skykomish along US-2 going over Stevens Pass. Having lived in small towns, I can completely picture it in my mind’s eye and being a wannabe Washingtonian, it’s one of my favorite places to escape.

Deux

Partonville, IL. This is the fictitious town created by Charlene Ann Baumbich (who used to read this blog) where Dorothy Wetstra lives in the “Dearest Dorothy” books. It’s halfway between Chicago and St. Louis and other than Dorothy, the main characters are Katie Durbin, a city slicker from Chicago who moves there to find her roots, Katie’s son Josh, and a number of other townspeople. It’s another small town where I can picture the layout and I can totally see myself sitting at the counter at Harry’s Grill with Arthur Landers and acting mayor Gladys McKern.

Trois

Pickax. This is the small town setting of “The Cat Who…” mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun. Local millionaire James “Qwill” Qwilleran solves mysteries with the help of his Siamese cats KoKo and YumYum. I can also see the offices of “The Moose County Something”, the library where Qwill’s beloved Polly Duncan works, the theater in the old Klingenschoen mansion where plays take place and the apple barn where Qwill lives during the more temperate seasons of the year.

Quatre

Colleton County, NC. This is the setting for the Margaret Maron mysteries that deal with Judge Deborah Knott. I would argue that these are some of the best murder mysteries you will ever read. She’s the youngest and only girl of 12 kids, married to a sheriff’s deputy, and step-mom to his son. I love reading about the cases brought before her and some of the places she is sent to fill in for district judges around the state. The stories about her family are awesome and I can get completely lost in one of the mysteries and picture myself there.

Cinq

Mitford, NC. I would be a bad pastor’s wife if I didn’t mention Mitford, especially as I have the Jan Karon books almost completely committed to memory and my copies are falling apart. Having been in a ministry position (well… psuedo-ministry because I’m not ordained), some of the things that Father Tim does show a lack of boundaries, codependency, and a host of other things… but it’s also its own place and you minister to the people you have in front of you. I have a mental image of Lord’s Chapel, Fernbank, the hospital, the rectory, and all the other places you encounter.

OK now… go congratulate Hallie and read the lists of some other people.

7 Quick Takes: Baseball, British TV Shows, and How Not To Talk To Kitties

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

North Korean propaganda. I don’t know how real this particular video is but it both amuses and scares me.

I’m guessing the footage of the United States was taken after Superstorm Nemo? In any case, I wonder if it’s too close to bedtime for another cup of snow coffee.

— 2 —

Easter. Easter was quiet for us. We had church in the morning and stayed home in the afternoon. I sort of wish that we could have gone to see family or something but after two busy weekends, Holy Week with a lot going on, and Daniel being on Spring Break, it was good to have a quiet Sunday. Jon needed the naptime as did Daniel.

— 3 —

Take me out to the ballgame. Baseball season has officially started. My Giants took the series with Jon’s Dodgers 2-1. In the last game, my boys got their first two home runs of the season. Our Panda hit a 2-run homer in the 3rd and Hunter Pence shot one off in the 6th. They open against the Cardinals in San Francisco on Friday and I’ll be gone so I’ll unfortunately miss it. The World Series ring ceremony is on the 7th and I’ll unfortunately miss that one as well.

— 4 —

The doctor is in. My mom introduced me to the British series “Doc Martin” while I was in San Jose for my anniversary a few weekends ago. It’s addictive — Jon and I watched the rest of the first season the next day. If I hadn’t had a little boy on Spring Break, I probably would have finished the series that week! He’s the British version of “House” and the recurring characters are wonderful. His receptionist is the picture of apathy and the people in Port Wenn (his small town) are lovely. It kind of makes me want to catch up on “Hart of Dixie”.

— 5 —

Talking to kitties. Catfoodbreath, one of my favorite Twitter kitties, has a useful blog post on how not to talk to a kitty. I’m not guilty of #1 on that list… per se. When I talk to my demon spawn cat Freya, I have a tendency to say things like “CAT! CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT!” (She was fostered with Rottweilers so I sometimes have to remind her that she is a cat.)

— 6 —

Forty to Forever. Forty Days to Forever is done and we raised $10,000! Woohooooo!!!! Brett had a little over $100 added to his adoption grant so that’s some success there. He still needs a mama so go click on his picture to find out more about him.

Brett

— 7 —

Querying the Hive Mind. My church is doing a craft fair after Thanksgiving. Could you go to my Pinterest page for crocheted stuff and tell me what you think I should make? Please and thank you!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Little Bear’s Recovery, Lent Madness, and Things Not Related to Good Friday

Posted on by

7 Quick Takes

It’s Good Friday so Jen Fulwiler is taking the week off of hosting Quick Takes. I need something for blog fodder so I’m still going to post mine. If you also post yours and want me (or others) to read them, leave a comment with the link to them.

— 1 —

Reece’s Rainbow. This is Kaia and this is Brett.

Miss KaiaMr. Brett

Kaia has a family coming for her but they need to raise the money to do so. Brett needs a family and that family will likely need help raising the funds. Click on their pictures to see more.

— 2 —

Lent Madness. My pick, Luke, made it into the final match but was thwarted by Frances Perkins, who served as FDR’s Labor secretary. Curses! Oh well… there is next year. It was definitely a fun thing to do during Lent and I thank the Episcopal clergy peeps who put it together.

— 3 —

Update on Little Bear. Little Bear made it through his surgery and is home recovering. He is wanting to lick his cast off which is not amusing his mama. His buddy, Luna, is wanting to guard him and misses playing with her little buddy. I should probably explain… Luna is a gigantic German Shepherd and adores this little black kitten. I’m glad LB has a good buddy in her and it has been fun to watch the videos of the two of them in LB’s community. I’m sure his mama would appreciate continued prayers that his healing goes well. Oh yes, please also vote for him in the AmazeCats contest.

— 4 —

Polling the Hive Mind. Metanoia (my parish) might be having a craft bazaar after Thanksgiving to raise money for the parish. Would you mind going to my Yarn Goodness board on Pinterest and tell me what you think you would buy? The link to the Pinterest board will open in a new tab/window so you don’t have to surf back and forth.

— 5 —

Meeting the parents. My sister-in-law Jeanette graduated with her B.S. in Criminal Justice from ITT-Tech last night and I carpooled with my parents to downtown Sacramento to meet up with my evil twin and Jeanette’s parents for dinner beforehand. I hadn’t met them before and had heard stories so I thought dinner would be interesting. It did not disappoint. Her mom is a lot like my mom… and our dads were apparently separated at birth. They’re alike other than being 180 degrees apart politically so I had a great time listening to all the hunting and gun stories from Jeanette’s dad. Having spent the first 6 years of Jon’s ministry in the rural Midwest, I could hold my own pretty well. 🙂 Seriously, he’s really a lovely person and gives my brother as much hell as my grief as my brother gives him.

— 6 —

Dealing with C & E Christians. Simcha Fisher has some interesting advice on how to deal with “C & E Christians”. I never thought I’d be thankful to be part of a small church — we don’t really have parking problems and the twice-a-year people who come know better than to play on their phones during the service. I’m usually on my feet but that’s because I have a toddler who insists on opening and closing the sanctuary doors and trying to escape out the narthex doors, causing a couple people to give me the evil eye.

— 7 —

NCIS this week. How many people enjoyed McGee’s dad on NCIS this week? It was good to see Gibbs and a few others standing up for McGee when his dad would criticize him. It was also good seeing a McGee-centric episode.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen next week at ConversionDiary.Com or (hopefully) check my comments.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: March 25, 2013

Posted on by

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY March 25, 2013

Outside my window… dark. It was temperate today but I’m hoping for rain at some point this week to make the pollen go away.

I am thinking… about things to make for a possible Christmas craft bazaar at Metanoia.

I am thankful… for a good time in San Jose last weekend.

In the kitchen… nothing from scratch.

I am wearing… Arabic shirt and black running shorts.

I am creating… plans.

I am going… to hope I can get all my cleaning done tomorrow with help from a parishioner.

I am reading… The Alpine Traitor by Mary Daheim.

I am hoping… the rest of this week (Spring Break with Daniel) goes well.

I am looking forward to… seeing family on Wednesday.

Around the house… cleaning to do.

A favorite quote for today… “Ford, you’re turning into a penguin. Stop it.”

One of my favorite things… chocolate-flavored Instant Breakfast.

A few plans for the rest of the week: cleaning and WIC appointment (ick) tomorrow, cleaning/time with family/dinner/sister-in-law’s college graduation on Wednesday, and whatever else comes up.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

The Proverbs 31 Project: Honor her for all that her hands have done…

Posted on by

Proverbs 31 Project

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. — Proverbs 31:31

According to Rachel Held Evans in her book, A Year in Biblical Womanhood, Proverbs 31:10-31 is part of a song the husband sings to his wife on the Shabbat. In doing so, he honors her for the contributions she makes to the household in managing it. (Hevel, please correct me if I’m wrong.) In doing this last entry of the series, I have some people who need to be honored for their contributions.

My thanks goes to:

–Becky for the graphic.

-Priest’s Wife, Jill, Elizabeth, Claire, Christina, Andrea, Kendra, Emily, Jen, Stacy, Jenna, Amanda, and Mandi for guest-posting.

-everyone who has read/commented on this series.